Historians/Old-Timers: Is is true that John Ngugi missed winning $1 million by 1 second in 1988 in Bali?

Ok. Thanks to the new Bing search (does anyone use google anymore? :)), I was able to quicky find some info non the World Athletics website.

It looks like he lost $500,000.

worldathletics.org

A Kenyan XC Legend – John Ngugi | NEWS | World Athletics

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Riveting stuff. You asked us a question you could have just looked up on your own, you then looked it up on your own, then you told us about it.

don’t quit your day job. Oh wait, this is your day job

Was that shortly before Ngugi was banned for refusing to be tested?

About 5 years before he was banned and 4 years before the incident leading to his ban. About 7 years before he was reinstated.

His inability to kick got him again!

I remember that race, it was on TV, which was common back then. I think it was on a Toni Reavis show- Road Race of the Month.

1 million if you broke the track world record and 500,000 for the road record.

Ngugi was out of this world with or without drugs. That stride cannot be replicated.

So well put.

Not sure but an agent once told me a story of a Kenyan he brought over to the uk.

Time bonus to break 50 mins on a 10 mile course.

Down the finishing straight it was very close. He was screaming at his runner who hit the line on dead on 50:00

Turned out the Kenyan thought meant run 50 flat dead on.

How is that for pacing!

The race organiser felt sorry for them and gave the bonus anyway a few hundred

Same agent brought an Ethiopian to the GNR Figedu Digefu who finished 3rd

Tony O'Kell Stockport Harriers that was the agents name. Not bad himself was running 31 mins 10km as a vet!

I still have the Ethiopian vest that another of his squad Getaneh Tessema. gave me his suggestion, Not a bad swap a vest won in the national xc for my Stockport Harriers top! Well he was broke then but got lucky later and married Gete Wami they now own a hotel - well last time I checked.

Radcliffe once beat her in marathon but Wami picked up the 1 Million $ bonus - just checked actually 500k as was part of a 3 race world marathon series

Tony did not drive so I used to drive his runners to some races plus did an article on the for a local mag Northern runner -still have the copy I think.

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Gete Wami

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No it wasn't shortly before. It was way before. While that is true he supposedly refuse the test for the following reason. They showed up at his house to drug test him while his wife was in labor at their house. He refused to leave his wife in labor.

Marc Nenow also ran as did I think Gidamis Shahanga.

It was not well planned or organized resulting in a field not deep with talent.

Wasn’t the senior race 12km, not 7.5 miles?

No. World Cross had no standard distance. It could be almost anything, but 12k was run more often than not.

The record was eventually broken by one second funnily enough by Addis Abebe (ETH) on 24 January 1993, Jakarta, Indonesia. Seem to remember this race was also sponsored by Bob Hasan and Abebe won the money, which if my memory serves me correctly was a million dollars, but could be wrong, you might have to DYOR on that.

It was $525,000.

greensboro.com/ethiopian-earns-track-s-biggest-paycheck/article_6a8aa320-bed4-548d-9cde-c8408d862aa4.html